Blue Lakes Trail

Incredible hike. Not just for the fantastic payoff at the end (we stuck to the lower lake for our destination because the clouds were rolling in), but it seems like every 15 minutes we'd come across a new meadow, mountain view, or waterfall. It's got a good mix of shade and sun. The first third was really tough for us; you are climbing at about a 10% grade for what feels like forever. We camped near the trailhead and started the hike around 9:30am and it took us a few hours with plenty of rest stops along the way, with maybe an hour to get back (we started jogging once the rain looked imminent because we forgot to put the fly on our tent when we set out. Good thing because it started hailing within minutes of getting the fly on). Dogs on leaded allowed!